Pollutants collection system for coke oven discharge operation

ABSTRACT

A pollutant collection and exhaust system in a battery of coke ovens for removal of atmospheric pollutants from the gases released at the time of discharge of coke from an oven. The usual guide carriage is provided with an exhaust hood having an open end facing the ovens, the exhaust hood enclosing the coke guide members and extending over the transfer car thereby enshrouding the discharging coke and resulting fumes and smoke during the discharge operation. A stationary exhaust manifold extends along the battery for applying draft to the exhaust hood. The exhaust hood is equipped with an auxiliary blower, ductwork and nozzles whereby a curtain of air can be supplied to close the open end of the exhaust hood against escape of pollutants while at the same time supplementing the draft through the coke guide members.

United States Patent [1 1 J akimowicz Dec. 23, 1975 [75] Inventor: Christopher C. Jakimowicz, Detroit,

Mich.

[73] Assignee: National Steel Corporation,

Pittsburgh, Pa.

22 Filed: July17, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 489,447

[52] US. Cl 202/263; 98/115 R; 202/262; 266/15; 432/249 [51] Int. Cl. C10B 27/00 [58] Field of Search 202/262, 263, 227; 201/2; 432/79, 249; 98/36, 115 R; 266/15, 16; 110/179, 173 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Dany 110/179 X 3,801,472 4/1974 Kemmetmueller 202/227 X 3,801,473 4/1974 Schoen et al. 202/263 3,834,293 9/1974 Danieli 26 6/15 X Primary ExaminerM0rris O. Wolk Assistant Examiner-Arnold Turk Attorney, Agent, or FirmShanley, ONeil and Baker [57] ABSTRACT A pollutant collection and exhaust system in a battery of coke ovens for removal of atmospheric pollutants from the gases released at the time of discharge of coke from an oven. The usual guide carriage is provided with an exhaust hood having an open end facing the ovens, the exhaust hood enclosing the coke guide members and extending over the transfer car thereby enshrouding the discharging coke and resulting fumes and smoke during the discharge operation. A stationary exhaust manifold extends along the battery for applying draft to the exhaust hood. The exhaust hood is equipped with an auxiliary blower, ductwork and nozzles whereby a curtain of air can be supplied to close the open end of the exhaust hood against escape of pollutants while at the same time supplementing the draft through the coke guide members.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 1 0f 4 3,928,144

Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 2 of 4 3,928,144

US. Patent US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet30f4 3,928,144

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POLLUTANTS COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR COKE OVEN DISCHARGE OPERATION BACKGROUND. OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to coke production. In one of its aspects this invention relates to the prevention of environmental pollution. In a concept of the invention means are provided for reducing environmental pollution during the operation of discharging coke from an oven in a battery of coke ovens.

- In the production of coke from coal for use in making steel, the coal is most often treated in a by-product coke oven. This process along with the equipment involved is described in The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel, 9th Edition, 1971, pages 109-164, published by US. Steel Corporation. At the end of the carbonization period, hot coke is pushed from one side of the oven through the slot-type door at the other side of the oven into an open railcar. Large quantities of atmospheric pollutants, such as smoke and combustion fumes, are released in the general area of contact between the hot coke and air as the hot coke emerges from the oven and bursts into flame. I

Recently, the consideration of environmental quality has required that as much atmospheric pollutants as feasible should be kept from entering the atmosphere. Since most of thebatteries of coke ovens already in existence do not have provision for containing the pollutants produced in the discharge of coke from an oven, an important consideration in the design of pollu tion control equipment is that it can be added to the coke handling equipment already in use. I

The equipment associated with discharging a coke oven in a battery of ovens has traditionally been a guide rack on a coke guide carriage which is'moved on a track along the battery of ovens by a doormachine. Thedoor machine removes the coke oven door on the quenching side of a preselected oven and then moves to position the carriage at the particular oven to be pushed The oven door is also removed from the opposite side of the same oven from which the coke is pushed through the slot-type door and between the coke guides. These guides are vertical walls braced on the carriage with sufficient clearance between them to let the coke pass, but sufficiently close together to aid in retaining the coherence of the coke. The guides are usually constructed of small channels that are separated by a given amount in order to effectively dissipate the heat and prevent warpage of these vertical walls. As the coke passes from between the guides, the large cake of coke extruded through the dooropening is no longer supported at the bottom and sides. The coke crumbles in a fiery mass into an open railway ear spotted on a track situated sufficiently below the guide car to catch the discharged coke. Emissions are also immediately generated by the hot coke as it comes in contact with the air in the guide and enter the atmosphere through the open slots between the channel supports.

In general, the equipment necessary for removing atmospheric pollutants during the discharge of coke from an oven includes a shielding or hood device for surrounding the discharged material and an induced draft means for withdrawing or exhausting the pollutants together with ambient air from this hood and exhausting the air and pollutants in a closed duct to adjacent equipment or to a removed .area where the air carrying the pollutants can be treated to remove the polluting material.

The present invention concerns a mobile exhaust or collection hood attached to a coke guide carriage adapted for the collection of pollutant containing air at a multiplicity of oven discharge sites along a coke oven battery with means for cooling the coke guide while assisting in the conduction of collected pollutants to a treating apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a transfer car, exhaust hood, stationary exhaust manifold and means connected to the hood for establishing connection with the stationary exhaust manifold;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing a side elevation with parts broken away of the same structure with the transfer car of FIG. 1 shown in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1, with parts broken away better to show apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line .55 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a line of supporting stanchions 10 are spaced along the length of a battery of coke ovens (not shown) on the coke discharge side thereof. A series of short columns 12 extending along the length of the battery support beams 14 which in turn support rails 15 which run the length of the battery. A coke guide car indicated generally at 16 is driven by a door machine (not shown) along the length of the battery on rails 15. The coke guide car can be positioned in front of any oven being discharged, with a coke guide member 17 on either side of the ovento restrain the block of coke against disintegration prior to its reaching the transfer car indicated generally at 18. Each coke guide is formed by channels 19 spaced to dissipate as much heat as possible from the block of coke passing between the guides when an oven is discharged.

The coke guide car runs longitudinally along the battery on wheels 20 and is movable toward and away from an oven door on wheels 11 running on rails. 23. The frame 22 of the coke guide car, by means of supplemental framework 24, carries an exhaust hood indicated generally at 26 which enlarges outwardly from the coke guide car frame 22 to encompass and enclose the space above transfer car 18. The exhaust hood supporting framework 24 carries stainless steel sheets 28 which form the enclosing side and top walls of the exhaust hood, the exhaust hood being open ended on the end facing the ovens and being-open downwardly with skirts 30 approaching the upper edges of the side and end walls 31 of the transfer car as closely as practicable consistent with the movement of the transfer car relative to the exhaust hood structure. A framework formed from beams 32 constitutes part of the hood supporting framework 24 and extends outwardly beyond the vertical projection of transfer car 18. This framework may carry wheels 34 which ride on rail 36 carried by a girder 38 running the length of thebattcry. Girder 38 in turn is carried by vertical columns 40.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, columns 40, through the medium of trusswork 42, support an exhaust manifold 44 which runs along the length of the coke oven battery directly above exhaust hood 26 and transfer car 18. Lateral extensions 46 of this manifold go to gas treating and gas exhaust means. Exhaust manifold 44 has a flat bottom and a plurality of downwardly directed openings, in number and position the same as the coke oven doors. Exhaust hood 26 has a pair of upwardly directed openings positioned to register with alternate downwardly facing openings in exhaust manifold 44. By virtue of short downwardly directed ducts 48 for each opening in the exhaust manifold and upwardly directed stacks 50 associated with the openings in the exhaust hood, movement of the exhaust hood along the length of the coke battery makes possible connection of the exhaust hood with the exhaust manifold at any two alternately spaced ducts 48 and stacks 50. Ducts 48 have their lower ends closed by gates, not shown, and stacks 50 are telescopically recieved within the upper portion of exhaust hood 26. When positioned in alignment with two alternately spaced ducts 48, upward movement of stacks 50 brings the associated ducts and stacks into sealing registry and at the same time opens the gates of duct 48 by structure not forming part of the present invention. As far as the present invention is concerned exhaust manifold 44 and associated apparatus of the illustrated embodiment can be replaced by mobile gas cleaning equipment carried by the coke quenching car, as disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 3,676,305 and 3,715,282.

As best shown in FIG. 3, coke guide members 17, together with a trough-like base member 19, guide the coal from an oven being discharged into transfer car 18. The passageway for the coke so formed is surrounded on two sides and the top by a casing 56 forming part of exhaust hood 26. This casing 56 is open ended at the oven face end of the coke guide and joins the remainder of exhaust hood 26 where the exhaust hood projects over the transfer car. A bottom wall, not shown, can close the bottom of the casing if desired. Casing 56 extends as closely as practicable to stanchions to reduce to the minimum the space through which pollutants can escape to the atmosphere.

Mounted on coke guide carriage 16 is a blower 58 driven by a motor 60, the blower being connected by conduits 62 to a ductwork 64 contiguous to the side walls and the top wall of casing 56. As seen best in FIGS. 4 and 5, ductwork 64 has slots or nozzles indicated generally at 65 formed in the side walls and top wall of casing 56, the nozzle being directed inwardly of the casing 56 walls and top and inwardly of the opening in the casing which faces the oven door. Although the slots or nozzles 65 in the side walls and the top wall of casing 56 are shown continuous, where desirable a plurality of individual nozzles in a line could be used to accomplish the same purpose.

Each nozzle 65 is made up of a pair of walls 66 and 67, wall 66 being removable and a wall 67 being shown integral with the inner duct wall. A series of bolts 68 and readily removable wing nuts 69 hold walls 66 in position to form a nozzle orifice of desired cross sectional dimension. In the field, after gas pressure measurements, adjustments can be made in the nozzle orifices by temporarily removing wall 66 and changing the angle these walls make with walls 67, thereby controlling the veloelty and mass of the air where needed 4 around the duct to obtain the optimum performance of the duct for the purposes intended.

The operation of applicants pollutant collection system will be apparent from the foregoing description of the apparatus. The draft applied to exhaust hood 26 when the exhaust hood is connected to manifold 48 by stacks 50 sucks air in around the upper edge portions of transfer car 18 and through the open end of the exhaust hood which faces the ovens. The mass of air supplied by ductwork 64 and nozzles 65 and its directions at the open end of the exhaust hood facing the ovens supplements this draft while at the same time the air issuing from nozzles 65 forms a curtain preventing the escape of pollutants at this necessarily open portion of the exhaust hood. A still further important function of the stream of air emitted from nozzle 65 is to cool the coke guides and the casing 56 because the fiery block of coke passing between the coke guides is at extremely high temperature and in a confined space. The cooling effect of the air streams supplied by nozzles 65 increases the life of the equipment at this point.

I claim:

1. A coke oven battery air pollution prevention system, in which a transfer car receives the coke discharged from an oven, comprising a. coke guide means for guiding the coke discharged from an oven into the transfer car,

b. a coke guide carriage carrying the coke guide means for positioning the coke guide means in coke guiding position relative to an oven to be discharged,

0. an exhaust hood carried by the coke guide carriage, the exhaust hood being shaped to enclose the top and sides of the coke guide leaving an open end facing the battery through which end the coke guide projects, the exhaust hood extending outwardly away from the battery and the coke guide carriage to form an enclosure projecting over and enclosing the open top of the transfer car with the downwardly facing open end on the exhaust hood registerable with the open top of the transfer car,

d. means forming an exhaust opening in the exhaust hood above the transfer car,

e. means connectable to means (d) for inducing a draft through means ((1) and through the exhaust hood from the open ends of the exhaust hood,

f. a source of air under pressure,

g. duct means associated with the walls of the exhaust hood adjacent the open end of the exhaust hood which faces the battery,

h. conduit means connecting the duct means to the source of air under pressure, and

i. nozzle means communicating with the interior of the duct means, the nozzle means having an outlet orifice shaped to form a curtain of air under pressure on the inside of the open end of the exhaust hood which faces the battery and on each side of the coke guide means, the curtain of air acting to cool and the coke guide means and to cooperate with the means for inducing draft through the exhaust hood to prevent escape of pollutants out of the open end of the exhaust hood.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 including i j. means associated with the nozzle means of limitation (i) for adjusting the size of the nozzle orifice.

3. The structure claimed in claim 2 in which k. the nozzle means of limitation (i) incorporate two walls and the means oflimitation (j) include means 6 k. means associated with the nozzle means of limitation (i) for adjusting the size of the nozzle orifice. 6. The structure claimed in claim 5 in which l. the nozzle means of limitation (i) incorporate two walls and the means of limitation (k) include means for adjusting the position of one wall relative to the other to change the size of the nozzle orifice. 

1. A COKE OVEN BATTERY AIR POLLUTION PREVENTION SYSTEM, IN WHICH A TRANSFER CAR RECEIVES THE COKE DISCHARGED FROM AN OVEN, COMPRISING A. COKE GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING THE COKE DISCHARGED FROM AN OVEN INTO THE TRANSFER CAR, B. A COKE GUIDE CARRIAGE CARRYING THE COKE GUIDE MEANS FOR POSITIONING THE COKE GUIDE MEANS IN COKE GUIDING POSITION RELATIVE TO AN OVEN TO BE DISCHARGED, C. AN EXHAUST HOOD CARRIED BY THE COKE GUIDE CARRIAGE, THE EXHAUST HOOD BEING SHAPED TO ENCLOSE THE TOP AND SIDES OF THE COKE GUIDE LEAVING AN OPEN END FACING THE BATTERY THROUGH WHICH END THE COKE GUIDE PROJECTS, THE EXHAUST HOOD EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM THE BATTERY AND THE COKE GUIDE CARRIAGE TO FORM AN ENCLOSURE PROJECTING OVER AND ENCLOSING THE OPEN TOP OF THE TRANSFER CAR WITH THE DOWNWARDLY FACING OPEN END ON THE EXHAUST HOOD REGISTERABLE WITH THE OPEN TOP OF THE TRANSFER CAR, D. MEANS FORMING AN EXHAUST OPENING IN THE EXHAUST HOOD ABOVE THE TRANSFER CAR, E. MEANS CONNECTABLE TO MEANS (D) AND THROUGH THE EXHAUST HOOD THROUGH MEANS (D) AND THROUGH THE EXHAUST HOOD FROM THE OPEN ENDS OF THE EXHAUST HOOD, F. A SOURCE OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE, G. DUCT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WALLS OF THE EXHAUST HOOD ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF THE EXHAUST HOOD WHICH FACES THE BATTERY, H. CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE DUCT MEANS TO THE SOURCE OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE, AND I. NOZZLE MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE DUCT MEANS, THE NOZZLE MEANS HAVING AN OUTLET ORIFICE SHAPED TO FORM A CURTAIN OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE ON THE INSIDE OF THE OPEN END OF THE EXHAUST HOOD WHICH FACES THE BATTERY AND ON EACH SIDE OF THE COKE GUIDE MEANS, THE CURTAIN OF AIR ACTING TO COOL AND THE COKE GUIDE MEANS AND TO COOPERATE WITH THE MEANS FOR INDUCING DRAFT THROUGH THE EXHAUST HOOD TO PREVENT ESCAPE OF POLLUTANTS OUT OF THE OPEN END OF THE EXHAUST HOOD.
 2. The structure claimed in claim 1 including j. means associated with the nozzle means of limitation (i) for adjusting the size of the nozzle orifice.
 3. The structure claimed in claim 2 in which k. the nozzle means of limitation (i) incorporate two walls and the means of limitation (j) include means for adjusting the position of one wall relative to the other to change the size of the nozzle orifice.
 4. The structure claimed in claim 1 in which j. the duct means of limitation (g) extend entirely around the top and side walls of the exhaust hood and the nozzle means are associated with the side walls and the top wall of the exhaust hood.
 5. The structure claimed in claim 4 including k. means associated with the nozzle means of limitation (i) for adjusting the size of the nozzle orifice.
 6. The structure claimed in claim 5 in which l. the nozzle means of limitation (i) incorporate two walls and the means of limitation (k) include means for adjusting the position of one wall relative to the other to change the size of the nozzle orifice. 